Dream girl

Suparn Verma

She is short and plump. The
thinking man's sex symbol, or so the
hype runs...

Not a beauty in the conventional sense, and yet alluring, attractive
-- ask her fans.

She is the multi-talented, multi-faceted Kajol -- riding
the high of the the Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge wave
which, besides sweeping the film to unprecedented box office collections,
also won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

We caught up with her during the shoot of her under-production
film Ishq, and almost the first thing we discuss is whether,
or not, she will continue for long in this industry, given the
recent talk of her upcoming marriage. Why, I ask, do Indian women
give precedence to their personal, as opposed to professional,
lives?

"It is probably because males are generally considered to
be the breadwinners of the family, and we women haven't yet got
out of this mindset. And even today, if you have been brought
up in a traditional environment, I guess you are bound to think
that way. Though I must add that today, more women are thinking
things through, making their own choices..."

From there, we progress naturally to her career -- Kajol's grandmother
Shobana Samarth was among the pioneers in Indian cinema, her mother
Tanuja and aunt Nutan are Indian screen legends and today, Kajol
herself is a top contender for the number one slot, though she
expresses herself as opposed to the numbers game. So how does
it feel, being a third generation actress?

"I never really thought of myself as a third generation actress,"
she shrugs. "As far as working is concerned, we go to work
like it is any other job -- the only difference is that in our work,
we get more than the average share of the spotlight, we are more
visible, that is all. Other than that, the fact that you are the
third generation in your family to make a living as an actress
means nothing."

Talking of the spotlight, Kajol makes it clear that even though she
accepts the media attention as part and parcel of her profession,
she will tolerate no encroachments on her privacy. "My personal
life is my business, and I don't discuss that with anyone,"
she says, frowning. "Sure, journalists write what they please,
there is little I can do about it. But I don't believe that I
need the mention in the gossip columns to remain in the spotlight
-- when you are a newcomer, maybe, such mention might help you
be noticed, get you a film or two. But once you have established
your credentials, whether or not you are written about, especially
your private life, makes no difference anyway. As for me, I don't
mind talking about my work, but why should I talk about my private
life to anyone?"

Another question that affect actresses is their relatively brief
shelf life. In the industry, heroes go on and on, while the women
are quickly pushed from the heights of playing the lead into the
subsidiary roles, of sister, mother and such, once younger and
prettier faces come on the scene.

Kajol winces. "Yeah, right, the subjects in our films are
only love stories, we have not evolved beyond that point, we don't
cater to a literate audience. And since in such films you need
young pretty girls, it obviously follows that the lifespan of
the average actress, at least as lead, is very short-lived."

A common perception is that though there is competition within
the industry, the males tend to keep it within bounds while the
females cross such boundaries. Kajol, though, disagrees. "I
guess it depends on how secure you are as a person," she
shrugs. "I believe in myself , I don't have to compete with
anyone else. I'm happy with what I'm doing. I'm not ambitious
in that sense.

"As far as I am concerned, my goal is to do good work. I
work because a role is good, not because someone has offered me
an enormous amount of money. I don't want to work like a dog,"
she says, then adds amidst laughter, "though that is precisely
what I find myself doing right now. All my films got delayed
for one reason or the other, so now I am busy completing them.
For now, I have five projects -- Hamesha, Ishq, Pyaar To Hona
Hi Tha, Sapnay and Chhaal."

Of these, Sapnay is the one causing most anticipation, as
it pairs her with Prabhu Deva and Arvind Swamy, under the direction
of award-winning cinematographer-turned-director Rajiv Menon.

"Sapnay has been a great experience," she says,
of the AVM Films movie that will be out on the marquee, in Tamil
and Hindi, on January 18. "It was a very organised set-up,
working was a pleasure. I have one song sequence with Prabhu Deva (right),
he is an excellent choreographer. Dancing with him took me 20
retakes and 30 rehearsals, but in the end it went off quite well,"
she laughs.

Every artist has a dream role, so I ask her what is hers. And
find my eyebrows shooting skywards when she says, "The role
of a boy!" Laughing at my reaction, she explains, "
"I saw this film of Julie Andrews where she plays a guy.
She looked so much like a man, she did it so well, I was intrigued,
I began thinking that playing a boy would be so interesting, I'd
be able to mimic a lot of guys in the film."

And how does she rate herself as an actress? "1, maybe 2,
on a scale of 10," comes the prompt answer. "I have
so much to learn, there are loads of things I don't know yet.
I have my drawbacks. I'm a very easygoing person, I affect people
around me. I'm mostly joking or laughing on the sets. I can't
be pensive and sit with a serious expression on my face the whole
time."

One intriguing thing about Kajol is how most people say she is
no beauty, but... So I ask her why, what are the qualities
attributed to this image that she has managed to conjure up?
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder," she says,
trotting out the well worn cliche " In the end, it is
your personality that matters, and that differs from person to
person. My concept of beauty is strength and vulnerability and
security at the same time -- and I believe I have it."

Kajol is usually found on the sets curled
up with a book. What kind? "I basically like romantic fiction
based in different eras. I like reading futuristic stuff,
what interests me most is how people thought in different times."

Doing two shifts a day, as she does these days, does she find
time for a personal life which she says she values highly? A big
grin of contentment lights up her mobile face. "Of course
I do, if you want something very badly, you always find time for
it. I have everything I could possibly want," she says, and
adds on the afterthought, "Touch wood!"

And so infectious is her presence that you reach out unknowingly,
to touch the bark of the tree you've been sitting beneath. "Touch
wood!"